Mississippi Today

‘It ain’t over yet,’ says mother of JPD accident victim buried in pauper’s grave despite having an ID

Published

1 year ago

November 20, 2023

On Monday, the mother of Dexter Wade finally got to tell her son goodbye.

The 37-year-old man, who had been battling mental illness, wandered across I-55 on March 5 when an off-duty officer driving a Jackson police cruiser ran into him and killed him. Jackson police have not released the officer’s name.

Wade’s mother, Bettersten, repeatedly called police to see if they had found her son, who vanished days before his death. They told her they couldn’t find him.

But the family’s lawyer, Ben Crump, said Wade’s wallet, which contained an identification card with his home address, was found in his jeans. “There is no excuse, not even incompetence, for not notifying a next of kin of an identified man’s death,” he said in a statement.

After his death, Wade was buried in a pauper’s cemetery, where graves are marked with numbers instead of names. It wasn’t until August that his mother finally learned what happened. His body was exhumed last week and was buried Monday at Cedarwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Jackson.

The story made national news.

Last month, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba called what happened an “unfortunate and tragic accident,” but at Monday’s memorial service, activist Al Sharpton called what happened a travesty.

“That could have been my son,” Sharpton told those gathered at New Horizon Church in Jackson. “That could have been your son.”

His life “mattered, and we’re going to let it matter all over this country,” Sharpton said. “We’re here to demand Justice for Dexter Wade.”

Crump pointed to the discovery of the wallet as proof “there was a concerted effort to keep the truth and manner of his death from his family.”

Some are calling for a federal investigation, including U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. “The system owes Mr. Wade’s family an explanation for the callous manner in which his untimely death was mishandled,” he said in a statement.

Jackson City Councilman Kenny Stoked apologized Monday to the family, and Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens says his office is reviewing the case.

The debacle was made worse last week when his mother asked to be present when his body was exhumed, but authorities went ahead without her.

In 2019, her 61-year-old brother, George Robinson, died after Jackson police officer Anthony Fox was accused of striking him in the head and slamming him to the ground. Fox, who was named Officer of the Year in 2014, was convicted of manslaughter resulting from culpable negligence and received a five-year sentence.

The Mississippi attorney general’s office is now asking the state Court of Appeals to reverse Fox’s conviction. “Fox could not reasonably have foreseen that death was likely to follow from an everyday effort to subdue a resisting, non-compliant suspect using traditional non-lethal means,” the office wrote.

“They had to exhume [slain NAACP leader] Medgar Evers to get justice” in 1994 when his killer was finally convicted, Crump said. “They had to exhume Dexter Wade to get justice.”

According to the Hinds County coroner’s office, it was about 8 p.m., two hours after sundown, when Wade tried to cross the southbound lanes of I-55 on March 5. The officer struck him, and the coroner ruled the death accidental. The autopsy found meth and PCP in Wade’s system.

Upon seeing the prescription bottle with Wade’s name, the coroner’s office contacted Hinds Behavioral Health Services, which confirmed he was a patient and provided the mother’s name and phone number, according to the coroner’s notes.

But when a deputy coroner tried to call, there was no answer, according to records. But Wade’s mother says she never received a call.

According to records, the deputy coroner checked with Jackson police several times, and when no one claimed the body, Wade was buried July 14 at the Hinds County Penal Farm.

Crump said Wade suffered multiple blunt force injuries to his skull, ribs and pelvis, according to the initial findings by pathologist Dr. Frank Peretti. The crash also severed Wade’s left leg.

“Just keep fighting with me,” his mother told those gathered, “because it ain’t over yet.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

20 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

22 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

22 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.